Meet Aaron Gibson | Manager & Leader of Junkatech Junkanoo Entertainment

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Gibson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

There was a great need to expose the Houston community and Southwest region of the United States to Bahamian culture as our Bahamian tourism and airline markets began to expand.

Fortunately, there was a group of Bahamian students, all on music scholarships, studying at Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University who desired to express their culture in the best way they knew how, Junkanoo.

Our first event was so successful, that same night we were invited to perform at major promotional events in the upcoming months.

We immediately realized our trajectory would surpass anything we could have imagined and made the decision to formalize the band into an entertainment group.

Thankfully, we have blazed trails ever since.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Junkanoo is the ultimate expression of Bahamian culture; a kaleidoscope of vivid color, rhythmic sound and unrehearsed energy. The origin of Junkanoo can be traced back hundreds of years ago to the shores of West Africa. The name Junkanoo originated from an African tribal Chief called John Canoe, who demanded the right to celebrate with his people after being brought to the West Indies in slavery. During that time, it was most popular to celebrate during the Christmas season and that tradition still holds today as Junkanoo is highlighted on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day morning.

Junkanoo has truly evolved over the years. In its inception junkanooers wore simple costumes made of cloth, fringed paper, sponges and anything else they could have found while marching the streets to the sounds of goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles and a few horns. Today, Junkanoo has become almost a sport with organized groups of 500-1000 members, vying for cash prizes and bragging rights as they compete in four main categories: music, costumes, choreography, and performance.

Forming and organizing a junkanoo group outside of the Bahamas is very difficult. Firstly, the resources you need to build costumes and the “backline” instruments used in junkanoo are usually strenuous to source and require costly shipping. Gratefully, there are mature junkanooers here in Houston who found different materials that could be used to build the costumes.

Additionally, we have had seasons of “event deserts”. As I alluded to, Bahamian culture was not prominent in Houston and after our initial run we weren’t booked for months partially because our culture was not as familiar as others.

It was because of this issue I learned the power of social media and hashtags. I began to upload our content as much as possible, using very specific hashtags which prompted users to visit our social media pages. Once there, the content did the work, and the bookings began to come in. This made me become very sensitive to the product we put out to the public as our bookings were usually tied to a video or image clients may have seen on our pages.

I am most proud not only of the evolution of the group but also its members. The group has had the privilege of travelling and performing throughout the United States in some of the biggest venues. However, that is nothing compared to the growth I have witnessed in the people who have passed through the group. Each of them are going to go on to do amazing things and I am eternally grateful to have had the pleasure of leading them these almost 5 years.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Some of the most exciting places to visit in Houston are the Galleria Mall, POST Houston, Museum District, Hermann Park and depending on the season, they can catch a Rockets, Astros or Texans game.

Some of the best food spots in the city are in Midtown Houston e.g., Lost & Found, Korean BBQ and Caribbean spots such as Helen’s Kitchen and Cool Runnings.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Firstly, a shout out to God for blessing the group with the talent we have the pleasure of displaying every time we perform, The Hon. Lynden and Marilyn Rose, Mr. and Mrs. Darville and the entire Bahamian community in Houston for their continued support, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Bahamasair airline for giving us opportunities to partner with them in their promotional events and lastly every member of Junkatech, past and present, who has always shown up and out when called on.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junkatech_ent/

Facebook: Junka-Tech Junkanoo Entertainment – https://www.facebook.com/junkatechjunkanoo

Youtube: Junka-Tech Junkanoo Entertianment https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGiIMzs7pb2A6RLVQWR_Rfw

Tik Tok: junkatech_ent

Image Credits
Lotus Vision Media, Erica Lewis (Emerald Stone Photography), RoyalCapture Photography, Jaida Lewis, Vey Gallery